The Mayor On City Finances: 'The Time To Take Action Is Now'

The Mayor talked about the specifics of her plans during an event at the Walters Art Museum (WBAL TV Image)

WBAL's Scott Wykoff reports on what the Mayor had to say about city finances during an event at the Walters Art Museum Download This File

Mayor Rawlings-Blake laid out specifics about her plan at an the Walters Art Museum (WBAL TV Image)

WBAL's Scott Wykoff reports on the Mayor's plan to offer 401 K plans instead of the current pensions to civilian city workers Download This File

The plan she outlined includes proposed changes to City employee pensions and benefits, the City's tax structure, vehicle fleet, and overall municipal operations (WBAL TV Image)

As WBAL's Scott Wykoff reports, the Mayor talked in detail about her many plans to deal with the city's finances Download This File

Mayor Rawlings-Blake laid out some specific details about what she calls a "bold set of major reforms" that includes moving city civilian employees pensions to a 401 K plan (WBAL TV Image)

Mayor Rawlings-Blake says if the bold reforms are enacted, the CityÆs improved fiscal foundation would help achieve her goal to grow Baltimore by 10,000 families. Hear details of how she plans to get that done. Download This File

The Mayor talks about more of the specifics of "Change to Grow: A Ten-Year Financial Plan for Baltimore" Download This File

On Wednesday morning at the Walters Art Museum, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake laid out the details of what City Hall describes as "a bold set of major reforms contained in the City's first long-term financial plan, Change to Grow: A Ten-Year Financial Plan for Baltimore."

The plan she outlined includes proposed changes to City employee pensions and benefits, the City's tax structure, vehicle fleet, and overall municipal operations.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake said if the reforms are enacted, the City's improved fiscal foundation would help achieve her goal to grow Baltimore by 10,000 families.

"Will we allow our hard-fought victories to become just a momentary pause-a footnote-in a continuing story of decline? Or, will Baltimore cement a true turnaround toward a future of growth. Our local choices and our local actions will help drive the City's course," Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. "Our city's lingering narrative of post-industrial decline will not be the story of our future. Baltimore is on the cusp of a proud renewal. We can change to grow."

Mayor Rawlings-Blake outlined several new initiatives including rebalancing the way City employees are compensated with changes in civilian pension benefits for current employees to require employee contributions, and other reforms, while using some of the savings to improve salaries. Also, enacting a defined contribution, 401(k) style retirement plan for all new civilian hires.

The plan also proposes enacting a City Hall describes as a "hybrid" defined contribution/defined benefit plan for all new public safety hires, while "protecting recent pension reforms for current public safety personnel by appealing a recent federal court decision".

She also talked about modernizing the City's vehicle fleet in an effort to reduce maintenance costs.

The Mayor proposed negotiating a new schedule for firefighters-with higher pay-to increase efficiency and prevent future firehouse closures.She noted that among the 25 largest U.S. cities, including Baltimore, 19 fire departments have work schedules exceeding Baltimore's 42-hour week, with a median work week of 52 hours.

She talked about reducing the size of the city workforce by at least 10% over 8 years through a combination of attrition and eliminating vacant positions, on top of the roughly 1,000 budgeted positions eliminated in recent years.

Her plan includes the creation of a new solid waste enterprise for trash, recycling, and sanitation by collecting a user fee.She pointed out that this is being done in other Maryland counties, including Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties.The Mayor says those countites are using the savings to cut property taxes, dollar-for-dollar.

The Mayor also spke of implementing a state-mandated storm water charge to rebuild crumbling storm drains and fund greening projects, in order to improve the water quality of Baltimore's harbor and city streams.

She says the reforms would also provide a major funding surge for blight elimination-helping to tear down more than 4,000 vacant structures.

The Mayor also says it would expand local funding for transportation, including repairing roads and bridges, while seeking a renewed state commitment for highway revenue, which she says has declined dramatically in recent years. She says the plan provides for more than $370 million in new local funding for capital investment over 10 years, providing a local stimulus to support job creation.

Rawlings-Blake says these reforms would also allow for a commitment to school renovations over the long term and prevent furloughs and pay freezes, raising employee take-home pay, and providing affordable, competitive benefits-helping to attract and retain the best City workforce.

She hopes to create tax incentives that she says will convert vacant office buildings and construct new apartments downtown and in key neighborhood corridors to help grow the City's population.

The Mayor also says these reforms will allow for cutting property taxes for homeowners by nearly 50 cents (22%)-over the life of the 10 year plan by reducing City spending and using savings from the new solid waste and storm water enterprises and other initiatives.